Daily Variety back issues from February 2008:
Monster prices create PR pickle for tuner.
Feb 01, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Robert F.X. Sillerman wants the legit community to know that he agrees with them: That $450 ticket was a mistake. Sillerman has stepped forward to claim sole responsibility for a string of biz decisions that caused an industry backlash against "Young ...
Vidgames buoy Sony's biz.
Feb 01, 2008; ... Strong sales in vidgames and electronics made up for a weak movie and TV perf at Sony, which reported a 10% rise in sales and a 25%jump in net income for the fiscal third quarter ended Dec. 31. Sony Pictures revenue plunged 25% to just under $2 billion, fueled by a weak showing ...
Fatigue factor? Strike weariness turns up the pressure.(WGA STRIKE)
Feb 01, 2008; ... A tacit deadline is looming for WGA leaders--within the next week and possibly within the next few days--to make progress on the key issues in their informal talks with studio brass or run the risk that the CEOs will end the sessions out of frustration. As the strike enters its ...
Thesp feeling 'Healing' spirit.
Feb 01, 2008; ... James Gandolfini will join Jesse L. Martin in the indie feature "Sexual Healing," which chronicles the last years of singer Marvin Gaye's life. Lauren Goodman will helm from a screenplay she based loosely on Steven Turner's book "Trouble Man." Story covers the life of Gaye ...
Will Hannah sock 'Eye'?
Feb 01, 2008; ... Some Super Bowl fans will end up missing parts of the game on Sunday to drive their daughters to see Disney's "Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour" in digital 3-D, as the pic plays in theaters for just one week. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] If ...
Hipster vibe.(Only at Variety.com)
Feb 01, 2008 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] With characters straight out of a Wes Anderson ...
Expecting too much? Google boost not enough for investors.(Financial report)(Brief article)
Feb 01, 2008; ... Shares of Google took a hit Thursday after fourth-quarter earnings for the Internet giant didn't meet Wall Street's high expectations. While profits rose 17% to $1.2 billion during the final three months of 2007 from $1.03 billion a year earlier, it still wasn't enough for ...
'Hall' pass for indie.
Feb 01, 2008; ... Indie feature "Across the Hall," helmed by tyro Alex Merkin, will begin lensing Feb. 6. Mike Vogel ("Cloverfield"), Brittany Murphy and Danny Pino (CBS' "Cold Case") star. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The noir thriller centers on a love triangle between a young ...
Helmer climbs 'Heights'.
Feb 01, 2008; ... John Maybury will direct a feature adaptation of Emily Bronte's classic gothic romance "Wuthering Heights." Robert Bernstein and Douglas Rae of Ecosse Films are producing the project, which HanWay Films will sell internationally. Olivia Hetreed ("The Girl With a Pearl ...
Doc tix to aid injury org.(GOTHAM FILM CLIPS)(Brief article)
Feb 01, 2008; ... The American Film Foundation will donate 10% of each ticket sold to Terry Sanders' documentary "Fighting for Life" to the Bob Woodruff Family Fund. Pic will bow at select theaters March 7. Sanders' doc was initially to be a story about doctors training to become military ...
S'dance sets legit retreat.(LEGIT BITS)(Brief article)
Feb 01, 2008; ... The Sundance Institute theater program has announced the selection of five playwrights and one composer for its 2008 retreat at the Ucross Foundation in Wyoming. "Jack Goes Boating" playwright Bob Glaudini; lyricist and D.C. legit mainstay Mark Stephen Campbell; and Billy Porter, who ...
TiVo's stock soars on Dish case ruling.
Feb 01, 2008; ... TiVo stock got a 29% boost on Thursday after a federal appeals court ruled in its favor in an ongoing patent dispute with Dish Network. If it holds up, the ruling could be a major boost for TiVo as it seeks licensing deals with cable and satellite companies like the ones it ...
Jaime Pressly.(Tenpercenteries)
Feb 01, 2008; ... CAA has signed thesp Jaime Pressly. Pressly stars on NBC's "My Name Is Earl" and recently provided voice work for the ...
Mike Gunther.(Tenpercenteries)
Feb 01, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Action scribe-helmer Mike Gunit her has signed with Insomnia Media Group for management representation. Gunther recently ...
Sterling Knight.(Tenpercenteries)
Feb 01, 2008; ... Sterling Knight has signed with 1 Management. Knight is currently lensing a lead role in Burr Steers' "17" alongside Zac Efron and Leslie Mann ....
Over Her Dead Body.(Movie review)
Feb 01, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A New Line Cinema release of a New Line and Gold Circle Films presentation of a Safran Co. production. Produced by Paul Brooks, Peter Safran. Executive producers, Scott Niemeyer, Norm Waitt. Directed, written by Jeff Lowell. Camera (color, ...
Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert.(Movie review)
Feb 01, 2008; ... (Docu) A Walt Disney Pictures release and presentation. Produced by Art Repola. Executive producers, Doug Merrifield, Vince Pace. Directed by Bruce Hendricks. Hannah Montana character based on the series created by Michael Poryes, Rich Correll, Barry O'Brien. Camera ...
Deathbed.(Theater review)
Feb 01, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] (McGinn/Cazale Theater; 99 seats; $45 top) An Apparition Prods. presentation of a play in one act by Mark Schultz. Directed by Wendy C. Goldberg. Sets, Alexander Dodge; costumes, Anne Kennedy; lighting, Josh Epstein; original music and sound, ...
Offending the Audience.(Theater review)
Feb 01, 2008; ... (Flea Theater; 40 seats; $10 top) A Flea Theater presentation of a play in one act by Peter Handke. Directed by Jim Simpson. Production stage manager, Joanna Leigh Congalton. Opened, Jan. 31, 2008. Reviewed, Jan. 29. Running time: 1 HOUR, 10 MIN. With: Raniah ...
Showbiz stocks: Thursday, January 31, 2008.
Feb 01, 2008 ... <Pre> Showbiz Stocks Thursday, January 31, 2008 YTD Name Tkr PE Last Chg%Chg AccessIT AIXD ... 3.26+.07 -27.1 AcmeCm ACME 2 2.97+.06+8.8 Actvsn ...
Filming in the future.(Film Production Chart)
Feb 01, 2008 ... PRODUCTION CHART KEY Abbreviations: EXP-Executive producer; PROD-Producer; COP-Co-producer; DIR-Director; ADFirst assistant director; 2DIR-Second-unit director; SCR-Screenwriter; DP-Cinematographer; ED-Editor; PD-Production designer; ART-Ad director; SET-Set decorator; ...
Filming in the U.S.(Film Production Chart)
Feb 01, 2008 ... APPALOOSA Ed Harris,Viggo Mortensen, Renee Zellweger, Jeremy Irons, Lance Henriksen,Adam Nelson, Scott Wannberg, Gabriel Marantz EXP, Michael London, Cotty Chubb; PROD, Ed Harris, Robert Knott, Ginger Sledge; DIR, Harris; SCR, Harris, Knott; DR Dean Sernler; ED, Kathryn Himoff; ...
Filming in Gotham.(Film Production Chart)(Brief article)
Feb 01, 2008 ... THE ARRANGEMENT EXP, Jon Overend; D1R, Ari Taub; SCR, Chuck McMahoo, Mario Radosta, John Ramaine; DR Caio Ribiero, lan Dudley; CAST, Donna McKenna The Arrangement (65 Roebling St., Brooklyn, NY 11211, 718-782-8381, Fax: 718 782-8388) 1/1, New York City. DOUBT ...
Filming outside the U.S.(Film Production Chart)
Feb 01, 2008 ... THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Connelly, Kathy Bates, Jaden Smith EXP, Erwin Staff, Gregory Goodman, Paul Boarchnan; DIR, Scott Derrickson; AD, PeteWhute; 2DIR, Jeff Habberstad; SCR, David Scarpa; DP, David Tattersall; ED, Wayne Wahrmann; PD, David Brishin; ...
Missions possible for guild: despite troubles, PGA stays neutral in the strike culture.(KEY ISSUES)
Feb 01, 2008; ... At a time when labor troubles have dominated Hollywood, the Producers Guild of America has gone out of its way to stay neutral. "We've got a lot of very unhappy members right now," admits PGA exec director Vance Van Petten. "It's the hardest time I've had since I came here nine ...
Boutique clique: the arthouse crowd brings its specialty angle to the PGA Awards.(THE NOMINEES)
Feb 01, 2008; ... This year's PGA award nominees boast equal measures of studio movie and indie cred--a blend of smartness and scope suggesting the traditional "Chinese Wall" separating majors from boutique divisions may be a Berlin Wall in the process of coming down. To "Juno's" Lianne Halfon, ...
More in hopper for WB topper.(MILESTONE AWARD)
Feb 01, 2008; ... The Producer Guild has bestowed its Milestone Award on many larger-than-life showbiz characters over the years. Alan Horn is not one of them. Before arriving in Hollywood some 35 years ago, Horn worked at Procter & Gamble, and it shows. Warner Bros.' prexy-CO0 takes a very ...
The hit parade as soap opera.(VISIONARY AWARD)
Feb 01, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] The Producers Guild is honoring Simon Fuller with its Visionary Award, but why stop there? If the org drummed up kudos for Instinct and Confidence, they could also have Fuller's name on them. "I think I've been lucky enough to be my ...
Gunning down a big TV record.(NORMAN LEAR ACHIEVEMENT AWARD IN TELEVISION)(Brief article)
Feb 01, 2008; ... It's a particularly intense time in Dick Wolf's career, as his flagship creation, NBC's "Law & Order," now in its 18th season, heads toward breaking the longevity record held by "Gunsmoke," which ran on CBS from 1955 to 1975. The excitement of displacing "Gunsmoke" has made Wolf ...
He gambled on auds' good taste.(V PLUS: PRODUCERS GUILD AWARDS)
Feb 01, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The 40th anniversary of Stanley Kramer's "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?" was actually Dee 11. But no matter. The producer-director was always a pragmatist who knew how to get things done in an often inhospitable climate. And so is his widow, Karen Sharpe ...
Denzel delivers a winner.(STANLEY KRAMER AWARD)(Brief article)
Feb 01, 2008; ... Producer Todd Black is a patient man. But then he has to be to make movies like "The Great Debaters," which has been tapped for this year's Stanley Kramer Award from the PGA. Black, Oprah Winfrey and Kate Forte will share the film's honor. Pic stars Denzel Washington, who also ...
Not much has changed since go den age.(SELZNICK AWARD)(Brief article)
Feb 01, 2008; ... Kathleen Kennedy confesses it was the movies of her youth that inspired her, not the example of David O. Selznick, whose names graces the award she is receiving with her husband, Frank Marshall. With all due respect to the maker of "Gone With the Wind," she picks Julia Phillips, ...
YouTube provides a distrib-free zone.(VANGUARD AWARD)(Brief article)
Feb 01, 2008; ... Viral video creation didn't start with YouTube, but the paradigm changed the instant Chad Hurley and Steve Chen launched their visionary Flash-based video-sharing platform in early 2005. "They've made it something so easy everyone can access it," says Alison Savitch, chair of ...
Miss Austen Regrets.(Movie review)
Feb 01, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] (Movie, PBS, Sun. Feb. 3, 9 p.m.) Filmed in the U.K. by WGBH and the BBC. Executive producers, Rebecca Eaton, David M. Thompson; producers, Anne Pivcevie, Jamie Laurenson; director, Jeremy Lovering; writer, Gwyneth Hughes; camera, David ...
Bridal Fever.(Television program review)
Feb 01, 2008; ... (Telepic; Hallmark Channel," Fri. Feb. 2, 9p.m.) Filmed in Toronto by Whizbang Films Prod. in association with Lee Distribution for Hallmark Channel. Executive producers, Orly Adelson, Jonathan Eskenas, Frank Siracusa; producer, Ian McDougall; director, Ron Oliver, writer, Karen ...
From the Army Archerd archive: Nov, 1, 1967.(Brief article)
Feb 01, 2008; ... GOOD MORNING: George Segal sez he's completed his "Jewish Period," i.e. "Bye Bye Braverman" and "No Way to Treat a Lady" in which he's a Yiddish cop. Now readying to raise his indie banner, he's talking "A New Life" with Jerry Tukofsky at Col where Segal also has a one-year with the Gower ...
The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center in Waterford, Conn., has been awarded a two-year grant of $100,000 by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.(LEGIT BITS)
Feb 01, 2008; ... The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center in Waterford, Conn., has been awarded a two-year grant of $100,000 by the Andrew W Mellon Foundation. The grant will go to support one of the O'Neill's flagship enterprises: its annual National Playwrights Conference ....
New Haven, Conn.--revivals of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?," with Richard Chamberlain as George, and "Waiting for Godot," with Randy Harrison, plus two new works highlight the 80th summer season of the Berkshire Theater Festival in Stockbridge, Mass.(LEGIT BITS)
Feb 01, 2008; ... NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- Revivals of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?," with Richard Chamberlain as George, and "Waiting for Godot," with Randy Harrison, plus two new works highlight the 80th summer season of the Berkshire Theater Festival in Stockbridge, Mass. Chamberlain will star ...
Toronto--let's hear it for "The Boys.".(LEGIT BITS)(Brief article)
Feb 01, 2008; ... TORONTO -- Let's hear it for "The Boys." Andrew Lloyd Webber and Ben Elton are rewriting their 2000 soccer-themed musical "The Beautiful Game" under new title "The Boys in the Photograph." Revised version will open in Canada in spring 2009 at Winnipeg's Manitoba Theater Center, ...
New Haven, Conn.--Shirley Jones returns to the fictional world of River City, Iowa, for a staged concert version of "The Music Man," produced as a one-week gig by Hartford's Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts April 22-27.(LEGIT BITS)
Feb 01, 2008; ... NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- Shirley Jones returns to the fictional world of River City, Iowa, for a staged concert version of "The Music Man," produced as a one-week gig by Hartford's Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts April 22-27. The production, helmed by Philip William McKinley ...
Danes joins Linklater pic.(Brief article)
Feb 01, 2008; ... Claire Danes has joined Zac Efron in the cast ofhelmer Richard Linklater's "Me & Orson Welles." CinemaNX, the new production venture backed by the Isle of Man film fund, is producing and financing the project, which starts shooting later this month in England, the Isle of Man ...
Bergeron's 'Club' host.(Brief article)
Feb 01, 2008; ... "Dancing With the Stars" and "America's Funniest Home Videos" host Tom Bergeron is vying for honors as the busiest man in TV, signing on to host the Planet Green skein "Supper Club." Show will follow Bergeron as he hosts a dinner party for celebs, politicians, authors, joumos ...
Weekend B.O. preview.(Statistical table)(Brief article)
Feb 01, 2008 ... <Pre> Weekend B.O. Preview Variety. com/weekendopeners Pic (distrib) BOWING Engagements The Eye (Lionsgate-Par Vantage) 2,436 Over Her Dead Body (New Line) 1,977 Strange Wilderness (Par Classics) ...
The screening room.
Feb 01, 2008 ... <Pre> THE SCREENING ROOM The Screening Room runs Tuesdays and Fridays. Send schedules at least five days prior to the screening date to jeffrey.sneider@variety.com. Screenings are open to Academy and guild members. For a complete list, visit Variety.com/screenings. NEW YORK ...
Hot 'Hannah' brings tween manna to B.O.
Feb 04, 2008; ... Disney 3-D pic "Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour" set off tween mania at the weekend box office, scoring the highest Super Bowl weekend gross of all time--$29 million--from only 683 screens, easily sinking previous champ "Titanic." Based on the ...
Turning a corner: scribes, studios sync up on Web content ...(WGA STRIKE)
Feb 04, 2008; ... No one's breathing a final sigh of relief just yet, but the WGA and studio chiefs made a key breakthrough in their 3-month-old dispute on Friday, setting the stage for a possible strike resolution as early as this week. "It's not a done deal, by any means," said a well-placed ...
PGA rides with 'Country' herd.(Producers Guild Of America Inc.)(No Country for Old Men)
Feb 04, 2008; ... The Coen brothers' "No Country for Old Men" continues to stake its kudos territory. The nihilistic drama--produced by Scott Rudin, Ethan Coen and Joel Coen--captured top honors at Saturday's Producers Guild Awards at the Beverly Hilton, besting "The Diving Bell and the ...
Biz maven joins Harvey's stable.
Feb 04, 2008; ... In a strategic shift, the Weinstein Co. is hiring its first chief operating officer. Lee Solomon, a longtime entertainment finance and biz affairs vet who was most recently a partner at Grosvenor Park, is expected to become a key architect of TWC. The formal ...
... As AFTRA plots solo path.(American Federation of Television and Radio Artists)
Feb 04, 2008; ... Taking the offensive in its brutal divorce battle with the Screen Actors Guild, the American Federation of Television & Radio Artists aims to beat SAG to the negotiating table: It'll launch talks with the majors for primetime TV work by early March. "We have told the companies ...
Search for tomorrow: Microsoft wants Yahoo.
Feb 04, 2008; ... Microsoft is making a $45 billion bid to become the world's biggest Web media player. If last week's unsolicited offer is accepted by Yahoo's board, which most Wall Streeters and insiders at both companies say is likely, it would combine Yahoo and Microsoft's MSN and Windows ...
Lee tops IMG programming.(Brief article)
Feb 04, 2008; ... New IMG Global Media prexy Chris Albrecht has made one of his first major hires, bringing on Rob Lee to head up programming. Lee, who most recently ran his own shingle, Bayonne Entertainment (Bravo's "The Millionaire Matchmaker"), will oversee all programming for the company, ...
'Shanghai' for Watanabe.
Feb 04, 2008; ... The Weinstein Co. has set Ken Watanabe to join John Cusack and Gong Li in "Shanghai," a period drama that will begin shooting in Shanghai next month. Mikael Hafstrom, who helmed Cusack in the Dimension hit "1408," will direct a script by Hossein Amini. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...
Mouse eager for Iger: prexy-CEO reupped as profits boom.(Financial report)
Feb 04, 2008; ... Robert Iger will keep his Mouse ears on for another five years. Exec will continue as prexy-CEO of the Walt Disney Co. through 2013, extending an initial contract that would have expired Sept. 30, 2010. Spurring the move are the record earnings Disney has reported ...
NBC current unit will rule over daytime.
Feb 04, 2008; ... NBC's current programming department has taken over the Peacock's dwindling daytime division, which Bruce Evans will oversee. As part of the change, Evans has been upped to senior VP of current series. Annamarie Kostura, who had headed up the separate daytime division (and most ...
Dillahunt turning 'Left'.(Garret Dillahunt will play the thug Krug in the remake of Craven's 1972 original)(Brief article)
Feb 04, 2008; ... Busy character thesp Garret Dillahunt has joined the cast of Wes Craven's "Last House on the Left" redo for Rogue. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Dillahunt, who has memorable roles in "No Country for Old Men" and "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford," ...
Bryan Cranston.(Players)(has signed on for Taylor Hackford's "Love Ranch")(Brief article)
Feb 04, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Bryan Cranston ("Breaking Bad") has signed on for Taylor Hackford's "Love Ranch." He'll play a conniving state senator in the pic, which is based ...
John Schneider and Kristen Kerr have booked lead roles in Justin Golding's "The Gods of Circumstance," lensing in the L.A. area and Las Vegas.(Players)
Feb 04, 2008; ... John Schneider and Kristen Kerr have booked lead roles in Justin Golding's "The Gods of Circumstance," lensing in the L.A. area and Las Vegas ....
Eden Riegel.(Players)
Feb 04, 2008; ... Eden Riegel has been cast in Harold Ramis' "The Year One" alongside Michael Cera and Jack Black. Pic is about two men wandering through civilization ...
Vincent De Paul.(Players)
Feb 04, 2008; ... Vincent De Paul has just wrapped on "Oak Hill" opposite Sally Kirkland. He plays a homeless man sleeping in a ...
Stars show their political stripes.
Feb 04, 2008; ... AS THE FIGHT for the presidency heats up, Hollywood's celebrities will be speaking their minds about the candidates and the issues--and studio chieftains already are cringing. Politics breeds controversy, and there are many who feel that stars should be seen and not heard. The campaign ...
CNN scores on Dem debate.
Feb 04, 2008; ... Thursday's CNN/L.A. Times Democratic debate between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton pulled in the highest cable debate numbers in history by a wide margin. Overnight reports put total viewers at 8.32 million--far ahead of CNN's South Carolina debates, held two weeks ago. Those ...
Return of 'Lost' maps big aud.(says American Broadcasting Companies Inc. ABC Broadcast Group)
Feb 04, 2008; ... Auds found ABC's "Lost" on its new night Thursday as the drama returned to action with strong numbers. The Alphabet dominated Thursday overall as a "Lost" clip show won its hour and new drama "Eli Stone" debuted to winning numbers in closing out the night. Results were welcome ...
Cast gets 'Chorus' coin.(New agreement was reached between the dancers and "Chorus Line" creator-director-choreographer Michael Bennett)(Brief article)
Feb 04, 2008; ... The performers whose lives provided the fodder for "A Chorus Line" will now have a financial participation in the current Broadway revival of the show and in future major productions of the tuner. New agreement was reached between the dancers--including original cast members ...
Fool's Gold.(Movie review)
Feb 04, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A Warner Bros. release of a De Line Pictures/Bernie Goldmann production. Produced by Donald De Line, Goldmann, Jon Klane. Executive producers, Wink Mordaunt, Jim Dyer. Co-producer, Stephen Jones. Directed by Andy Tennant. Screenplay, Tennant, ...
The Eye.(Movie review)
Feb 04, 2008; ... A Lionsgate release presented with Paramount Vantage of a C/W Prods. and Lionsgate production in association with Vertigo Entertainment. Produced by Paula Wagner, Don Granger, Michelle Manning. Executive producers, Mike Elliott, Peter Chan, Roy Lee, Doug Davison, Michael Paseornek, Peter ...